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Record turnout for 5K Turkey Trot

Yearly event
raises cash for
firefighters' kin

Lance Whitesides, 8, trekked just over three miles Thursday morning at his own pace, finishing the looping course at Power Road in 35 minutes.

And he still hadn’t worked up an appetite for turkey.

“I’d rather have the mashed potatoes,” he said.

Whitesides was among the 632 registered runners who woke early Thanksgiving Day for the third-annual 5K Turkey Trot run, which started behind the Redlands’ Albertson’s store, snaking through Connected Lakes State Park and skirting sections of the Colorado River.

The morning run drew a record number of participants and was expected to rake in an estimated $6,000 to $7,000, another record for the fledgling event, according to Grand Junction firefighter Jason Whitesides, an organizer.

All proceeds will go to the Colorado Professional Firefighters Association, which supports the families of Colorado firefighters who are injured or killed on the job.

Jason Whitesides said the Fire Department and union, Grand Junction Fire Department Local 2808, aim to continue the run annually on Thanksgiving Day.